FREE WHEELY

I used to spend some time with my young nieces and nephews. And one thing I love with being kids (aside from the sweets I enjoy sharing with them) is watching their nursery rhyme videos. However, it’s surprising to know that their favorite superhero is neither Batman nor Superman but (be ready for this!) Barney. Yeah! That huge purple and green dinosaur who sings, “I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, won’t you say you love me too?”

Sometimes, it pays to be with kids. Ya know, Jesus said that the kingdom of God belongs to people like them—humble of heart and content by being in their parent’s arms. You’ll really have much to learn by simply being with them. I, personally have learned about colors. Uhum. By knowing Barney a li’l deeper. I’ve learned that green (my fave color and my wife’s as well) is not just the color of hope but of growth. “It’s the color of trees and lots of things that grow,” said in the Barney song.

And that’s one of the most fascinating things about the Iroc sports car. Unlike most sports cars I’ve seen (which usually come in flaming red) this one is painted green. Viper green, to be exact. Cool, isn’t it? Never thought such color exists before (haha).

The Iroc sports car, manufactured by Volkswagen, was launched in Berlin, Germany. Its design was taken from the Golf hatchback. If you’re curious about its features, well, you must be impressed for it has a spacious interior which can accommodate at least four passengers and a large amount of luggage space. The Iroc sports car incorporates a radiator grille which appears like a honeycomb.

Of course, to complete its sports car image, it features seats which come in bucket style plus five point harnesses. It also comes equipped with a central buckle and a 1.4-liter TSI turbocharged engine which generates 210 bhp. That was actually based from the all-new Golf GT.

All sports car enthusiasts out there, the Volkswagen Iroc sports car is for ya!

You must have read one of my posts regarding a fusion between a car and a motorcycle. Uhum. The TVA Gazelle. It features a standard automobile’s layout, yet, it integrates the two-seat design of a motorcycle. Indeed! With its high grade performance and unique style, it’s awesome!

That must be the reason why yesterday as I was checking my e-mails, I suddenly came across this new concept. A tractor miniature? No it’s not. This is GG Quadster’s new vehicle—a fusion between a bike and a car.

Auto Motto said this concept is dedicated to all car enthusiasts who “need the backrest but love the wind-in-your-face action of a two-wheeler.” If you’ve seen Troy starring my missing twin bro Brad Pitt (Don’t gimme that look, I’m just telling the truth), you can mostly identify this car with the chariot he used to drag Hector’s corpse—mechanically powered though. Yeah, very much in agreement with AutoMotto’s review saying, “An aluminum finish makes it look like a Greek God’s ride and weight is also kept under check.” I could just imagine I and my wife, Lynda using it as our wedding car during the renewal of our marriage vows. Wouldn’t it be great? Certainly.

The GG Quadster incorporates a 1200 cc BMW engine that’s capable of producing 167 horsepower. In addition, GG Quadster’s rearing is expected to reach up to 3.5 seconds. Moreover, it’s capable of 0 to 60 kilometers per hour-worth of acceleration.

So if you’re interested to have a car like the GG Quadster, you gotta prepare at least $65,000 up to$75,000 and you’re on to your ride of a lifetime! Feel like Achilles. Drive like Achilles!

“People often say that ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder,’ and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves.” These words from Mexican actress and women’s rights advocate Salma Hayek Jimenez really spoke to my soul.

Being acquainted with too many “beautiful” people and objects ‘coz of my job, I must admit that too often, I judge beauty based on my personal standards of what’s appealing to my eyes. Rarely do I take effort to dig deeper and see more—or at least, learn more.

That’s why when I encountered this article entitled StileTorino Lancia Dora—Why Ugly Cars Will Never be the Future of Automobiles, on the web, I was checked on how far have I grown from the world’s basic concept of “beauty.” And yeah, as I browsed the page, visions of what’s ugly on my sight start flashing before my eyes. Flat nose (In a car, that’s equivalent to a flat bumper, I told myself with a silly grin) and what else, missing tooth (Oh, don’t tell me it means a car lacking one or two wheels. That would be ridiculous!), and of course, uneven skin tone which corresponds to messy paint color finish.

But I was surprised to see what Auto Motto tagged as an ugly car. A gray, luxury minicar designed to provide “sustainable mobility” and “improved versatility.” A car that can accommodate a whole family and can survive the urban setting–the StileTorino Lancia Dora minicar measures 2.5 meters long.

At Xoomer, the StileTorino Lancia Dora minicar was compared with the Mcc SMART produced by the Daimler Group. It said, “Dora for LANCIA: a little luxury microcar comparable with Mcc SMART of Daimler Group; a 2.5-meter vehicle that represents our proposal for a sustainable mobility and versatility in cities. Squared lines in a rounded geometry with all the typical stylistic features of the famous Italian brand and a well-resolved ‘family feeling.’ Our Design Director Ciampagia conceived this car in 1996 on request of FIAT Automobiles Design team.” Furthermore, the StileTorino Lancia Dora was revamped in summer of 2004.

Salma Hayek was right in saying that we must learn to find beauty in places where others dare not look. As the Little Prince says, “…what is essential is invisible to the eye.” Even in “ugly” cars like StileTorino Lancia Dora.

If you’ve bothered to read my recent post, most probably, you can identify with this new one. Last time, I featured a shoe called Opel Agila City Heels. As its name imply, ‘twas taken from the concept of General Motors’ four-door urban car—the Opel Agila. The shoe (female shoe, to be specific ‘coz I haven’t seen men wearing high heels, except in movies depicting homosexuality) features the same color, yeah Opel Agila’s pale blue color. However, its most noteworthy part is of course, the “bumper,” the tip of the shoes which incorporate an Opel Agila design complete with its logo. Opel Agila City Heels is available in a store in Amsterdam. Shoebaloo is the name, I guess? Yeah, it is (after checking my files).

And now, much to my surprise, here comes another car-inspired shoe, this time, it ain’t limited to bumper design or any other exterior auto part. Rather, you can drive it like a typical car! Whoa! Isn’t it exciting? Of course, it is! Imagine the dollars you could save having your own shoe car, if ever? But promise me you won’t get frustrated. Promise me!

Okay, ready? Here’s a four-wheeled roller skate. Yeah! The device you used to wear on your feet when you were much younger than I am. Do you now recall those good old days of gliding at the park using wheels propelled by your legs? Oh, great! Although my source cited no other specific information, for sure you too are excited about this new innovation. Just imagine the difference it could make to our traffic congested society. If more and more people will prefer to “drive” four-wheeler roller skates due to soaring oil prices, then there’d be less traffic on the streets.

Funny how last time as I was talking with my good friend, Gregg, we shared thoughts about environment preservation. Our discussion ended with brilliant proposals focused on “Why’s” and “How’s” and you know what? One of our proposed solution (aside from imposing Bicycles Only on the Highway (BOOTH)-policy) is—you got it right using roller skates. Not only are they eco-friendly (There’s no doubt on that argument, I suppose?) they’re also good for our health. Did you know that skating for at least 6 miles per hour can burn more or less 350 calories in your body? What more if you drive for 10 miles per hour? Then approximately you’ll lose about 600 amount of calories. Isn’t it amazing? It can save the dollars allotted for your time on the gym plus, you get a chance to breathe fresh air and meet new people! As a matter of fact, according to wikipedia, roller skating is a highly-recommended aerobic fitness sport by the American Heart Association. One reason must be because time spent while roller skating corresponds to hours spent while jogging.

Roller skates are classified into two: the inline and the quad skates. To know the difference between the two, well, the inline skates feature at least two to five wheels set in a single line. Most of them incorporate toe stop used as brakes in case you wanna slow down. On the other hand, quad skates have four wheels arranged in pairs (two wheels set side by side, to be specific). It comes with rubber cushion which allows easier pivoting and maneuverability and I think that’s the reason why the car-inspired roller skates I was referring to fall on this category.

If you will notice, these roller skates are designed like cars. ‘Til now, I’m trying to decipher which brand but it’s a sedan, isn’t it? It’s far from, being a truck, so you gotta agree with me. Carscoop called it a Smart Fortwo themed roller skates. Smart Fortwo, also called City Coupe is a two-seater microcar produced by Daimler AG ans was launched during the 1998 Paris Motor Show.

Oh well, a Smart Fortwo driven by human legs? That would be great!

Meanwhile, here’s another interesting concept that resembles that pink shoe car in Marikina. What I’m referring here is the Opel Agila City Heels. This ain’t a shoe car though but a shoe. Yes, a shoe. See that image above this post? That’s it. A shoe trapped in a car’s figure. This shoe is sold at Shoebalooo, a boutique located in Amsterdam.

Well, the reason ‘twas named was such might be due to its color. Uh-hum. The unique pale blue finish of the Opel Agila, a 3.74 meter urban car manufactured by the world’s largest auto maker, General Motors. The four-door Opel Agila can accommodate up to five passengers.

Some of the Opel Agila’s remarkable features include excellent visibility, comfortable ambiance and cool gadgets. It incorporates a re counter , a gear stick as well as a remote control, used to power the radio on the steering wheel. The Opel Agila’s rear seats can also be folded to provide additional luggage space. According to Autoblog, the Opel Agila has a luggage capacity of up to 1100 liters via its trunk lid.

In terms of safety, you can also count on an Opel Agila. It comes with four airbags and an Electronic Stability Program, also known as ESP. Also, it features head curtain airbags for additional safety.

The Opel Agila is powered by two gasoline engines capable of generating over 86 horsepower. It’s also guaranteed to be low-emission.

The Opel Agila premiered at the IAA in Frakfurt last year.

Single-seater racing. Touring car racing. Production car racing. One-make racing. Stock car racing. Rallying. Targa racing. Drag racing. Sports car racing. Off-road racing. Kart racing. Historical racing. These, according to wikipedia, are some of the categories of one of the most popular motorsports worldwide—auto racing. Speed. Speed. And more speed. That’s what auto racing is all about. This motorsport won’t exist in the absence of racing cars. But just recently, a brilliant idea crossed my mind. How about auto racing involving concept cars? Ya know, since most of these cars aren’t designed for mass production, at least they can be utilized in some other purposes. What more, by using them as automobiles for racing, more and more investors will be convinced that they are worthy of production contrary to many notions that they are just waste of manpower and money.

Sort of fate in action (O c’mon Eli, since when did you start believing in fate?) here comes Big Auto’s List of 12 Fastest Concept Cars. In dvice.com, it was mentioned that Big Auto’s main purpose for this project is to “show us that cars can be fast and green at the same time by embracing alternate fuels.”

Wanna know if your fave concept car is on the list? Well, here they are. First, we have the Oldsmobile Aerotech. Next is the Weber Sportscar Faster One. Followed by the Hennessey Venom GT, the Chrysler ME Four Twelve, the Acura Advanced Sports Car, and the Audi R Zero. The newly-launched BMW M1 Homage also made it on the list as well as the Mazda Furai. It’s unsurprising that the Volkswagen GTI W12 650 received the same recognition along with the GM EcoJet. Finally, the Jaguar XJ220 and the Dodge Tomahawk were also named fastest concept cars.

Not only are they sleek, snappy and unique. They also yield optimum performance. It ain’t surprising if one of these days, we’ll see them on the race track.

“It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.” Apart from his costume (which I really wanna try to wear ‘coz it’s cool, sort of men in black), I appreciate Batman for his wisdom and hot appeal. Yeah, there are more powerful and interesting super heroes out there—Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Atom, Hawkman, Captain Marvel, Plastic Man plus the alluring female super hero Wonder Woman, but Batman entices me most. Before you think of something else (yeah, something unwholesome), I’ll now tell you why.
I personally like Batman because of his Batmobile. Can you imagine a car with high-tech weapons to crush its master’s enemies? Something with ultra high speed and superior maneuverability? In fact, the latest Batmobile features a multiple jet exhaust that protrudes from its back bumper. No other super hero has that.

I know there had been a lot of attempts to imitate this car’s unique design. Ya know, Batmobile-inspired cars that went into production such as the Lincoln Futura and the Tumbler, the one used in Batman Begins. But I never thought that another one will be developed now by a man called Perry Watkins. Watkins is the one responsible for the latest Batmobile-look alike vehicle which he labeled as Flatmobile. Uh-huh. Flatmobile.

Why Flatmobile? Well, due to its height which only measures 48 centimeters above the ground. Whoa! Imagine driving a “super thin” car like that on the highway. I can’t, how ‘bout you? Watkins is planning to vie for a world record using the Flatmobile–the world’s lowest street-legal automobile. Umm. Can be. Just like the Batmobile, it also incorporates a “missile tip” which I think is not advisable these days when environment preservation is number one concern.

Nevertheless, the Flatmobile can take you to a ride of a lifetime at a maximum speed of 100 miles per hour (mph).

What differentiates a car from a motorcycle? Wheels, of course. A car has four while a motorcycle has two. Speed, I guess. Except during high traffic. Unlike in a motorcycle, in a car, you will surely experience being “trapped in the middle of a congested road” ‘coz of its size. What else? Price (haha). For sure, a car is a lot more expensive than a motorcycle. But in terms of performance both yield excellent transport service, I suppose. What do you think would be the result if you fuse these two? Hmm.. A car that can sneak out of traffic and is so manageable you’d be enthused to drive all day. Sounds cool and exciting, huh?!

Well, Philip James, an inventor from Australia, got this unique technique of feeding your imagination. Just recently, he announced his latest development in Auto Motto—the TVA Gazelle, a vehicle that features a combination of a motorcycle and a car. I think the effect was obvious, isn’t it? Look closely at the vehicle. You’ll notice that it bears a standard vehicle’s four-wheel layout while it incorporates a motorcycle’s two seat design. It’s also guaranteed to be safe because of its enclosed cabin, in fairness to James.

Driving the TVA Gazelle is much like driving a motorcycle. You have all the freedom and control over its front wheels. Curious about its performance? Well, no info about its speed was released yet but I’ve heard that it is capable of achieving over 100 miles per gallon (mpg).

The TVA Gazelle, another hybrid vehicle, will be sold at $10,000 or less. Meanwhile, to add more credibility to his concept, James targets the $10 million X-Prize from Progressive Automotive especially intended for vehicles that can deliver over 100 mpg.

With the performance capacity and innovative design of the TVA Gazelle, well, it won’t be impossible.

“War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.” Those were powerful words from English economist and philosopher John Stuart Mill. ‘Til now I cannot say that I totally agree with this guy’s thoughts about war. Okay, I’ll make a confession. To be honest, one of my biggest reasons for taking up journalism was so that I could be a war correspondent. With all the lives and properties being compromised ‘coz of war, my mind is still divided on where to stand on that war issue. That must be the reason why I landed on the auto journalism career.

Anyway, that thought just crossed my mind when I saw this concept vehicle called Med Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (MedUAV) from the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies, a company from Israel. This vehicle was designed to help in rescuing war victims without putting the rescuers and doctors’ lives at risk. The MedUAV will be a hybrid between an air ambulance and a drone, a radio-controlled airplane.

The MedUAV will be controlled by a UAV expert to the war zone. It can reach a height of 10,000 feet with a maximum speed of 150 knots. Upon landing, the MedUAV will pick up the wounded victims and fly them back to the camp for proper medication.

However, just like Auto Motto, my question now is how will the MedUAV guarantee the safety of the victims it will handle? I mean, how can a machine provide the same tender loving care that only human rescuers can give? In addition, is it tough enough to endure mortars and land mines commonly planted in the conflict zone?

Let’s see. Anyway, ideas with noble purpose are always blessed. In two years. Two more years to prepare.